


Never tickle a sleeping dragon

by SkyEventide



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, this has likely been done before but whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 21:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3625671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyEventide/pseuds/SkyEventide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The four founders are looking for a motto for their coat of arms. Naturally, looking for it, finding it and agreeing about it are three very different things. A.k.a.: me trying to give a half serious, half comical answer to the question why they decided to pass into history with such a motto as "never tickle a sleeping dragon".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never tickle a sleeping dragon

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even think I'm the first one to play with Hogwart's motto and make such a connection, but hey, I found the idea funny and I had fun myself while writing this. I hope you'll have fun too reading it.

Godric tapped his index finger on the parchment a couple of times with a certain forcefulness. « That is life experience. I can testify it. Do not do it, just do not do it. »

Rowena let the quill run on another parchment, as if rereading the options over and over could suddenly make them all agree on the solution. « Yes, I believe you. But are you telling me that you really, _really_ believe that the best lesson we could ever give to future generations is not to tickle a sleeping dragon? »

He widened his eyes, looking rather offended. « That is most definitely a lesson that everybody should keep in mind! » He moved away from the table and started pacing around.

Salazar sighed. « I stand by my previous proposition. »

Helga rolled her eyes. « Oh, I refuse. I am not going to have on our coat of arms that hymn to the greatness of ancestry. »

« Why not? Is it because you do not have one or…? »

Helga stared and then leaned forward. Very slowly. « Because _most of our students_ will not have one, Salazar. »

« Which brings me back to-- »

« Oh, _please_. » Rowena put her hand in her hair.

Godric threw his parchment between them; the piece of paper landed peacefully on the floor. « We should go for “Cor audaciam nunc et usque in aeternum”. »

Salazar moved his attention from the two women to him. « It is going to be a wizarding school, not a place for joust tournaments. »

« Well, _it might be._ »

Rowena calmly drew a line over some of the ideas they had written down. « I must agree with him, Godric. »

Godric pursed his lips and picked up the parchment from the floor, rereading some of the options.

Helga leaned back on her chair. « We could keep in mind the fact that we are going to deal with children and try to make it a bit more welcoming. Something about a home. »

« I am just going to repeat my first point. » Salazar crossed his arms on his chest. « It is going to be a _wizarding school_ , not a nursery. And, honestly, _“hot food”?_ »

« I’d rather have a nursery than the exclusive club of genealogic tapestries! »

« _Opinions_ , Helga. »

Rowena raised a brow, blowing air through her nose. « How comes today you argue more with Helga than Godric? Should I worry? »

Godric glanced briefly toward them from the side of the room and then stared back at the list in his hand. « Do I need to say something and bring things back to their normal status? »

Helga sighed. « No, Godric, thank you for the offer. »

« You’re welcome. »

« How about the riddle, though? » Rowena moved her gaze between the other three. « It makes sense, if you think about it. Those who do not get it at first are going to learn the answer and those who do… I will teach to them personally, I think. We could even enchant it so that the riddle will change every year. »

Salazar arched his eyebrows, with a rather lapidary expression. « We already agreed to discard the option one hour ago. »

« _You_ agreed to that. »

Helga coughed softly. « We did too, dear. But you can keep the idea for something else. »

Godric laughed in the background. « I cannot honestly decide which one is worse, if your riddle or Salazar’s proposal. »

Both Rowena and Salazar turned toward him. « _Excuse me?_ » -- « _Excuse you?_ »

Godric frowned slightly and glanced at them both, alternatively. « It’s a motto, Rowena! It’s supposed to be remembered, to remind everyone of the school, not to confuse people. And it is a frankly useless test, we do not need to check how well-learned our students are _before_ we teach them. And Salazar… I wasted enough breath on your point. »

Salazar narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, but Rowena stood up with pursed lips before he could say anything, still holding the quill. « Well, we also certainly do not need to make sure they are courageous and can wield a sword before we teach them. »

Godric put his hands on his hips. « I _never_ said anything of the sort! »

Helga sighed, put her elbows on the table and slowly massaged her own temples.

Salazar snorted. « You both still fail to consider that halfblood children will most likely not attend regardless. Especially those who are the only wizard in their family, because their families, unless they are landowners, will need them to work. To _work_. They have no time for school. »

« I said I wasted enough breath to-- »

« Fine, _fine!_ » Helga stood up abruptly and obtained silence. Not for her movement, mostly because she had yelled. She slowly breathed in. « Let’s just… Let’s use the dragon one. »

The other three stared at her.

Rowena glanced at the parchment. « Really? »

Helga shrugged and sat down again; Godric, on the contrary, smiled and his face lightened up. « I told you it made sense », he said. « And I personally guarantee it’s an advice everyone should take. »

Rowena made that neuter expression she always had whenever she was considering something, staring into the void. « Well, it could… We could pretend we had a dragon as a defense or at least suggest it through the motto. »

Salazar raised a hand palm-up. « We do not even have a dragon here and I doubt we ever will. Change that to “basilisk”, at least we are going to own that one. »

Godric placed his parchment on the table once again. « Who would ever be so nonsensical to tickle a _basilisk_ , Salazar? »

« Who would ever be so stupid to tickle a _dragon_ , Godric? »

« …Are you calling me stupid? »

Helga threw her head back in exasperation. « _Please!_ »

« I must say, Salazar », added Rowena, in a much calmer and pensive voice, « that it would not be wise to reveal we in fact have a basilisk right in our motto. »

Salazar opened his mouth, frowned and closed it again. He tapped his fingers on his thigh. «…Fair enough. »

A moment of silence followed, in which they all looked at each other. Finally, Rowena spoke again. « So. » She silently interrogated them all with a glance. « Are we eventually deciding for “Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus”? »

Helga nodded. « We are. »

Salazar barely changed expression. « Apparently. »

Godric grinned.

« Very well. » Rowena wrote it down, under her sketch of their coat of arms.


End file.
